The ASX Sharemarket Game is open for registration at the moment. # The Game challenge is to increase the value of your share portfolio in a set time frame # Simulates real sharemarket conditions as you buy and sell shares online using "real time" share prices # Total prize pool over $15,000. Discussion here.

Speaking of games, the free Steam game Alien Swarm will unlock today. Alien Swarm is a game and Source SDK release from a group of talented designers at Valve who were hired from the Mod community. Available free of charge, the game thrusts players into an epic bug hunt featuring a unique blend of co-op play and squad-level tactics. With your friends, form a squad of four distinct IAF Marine classes. Discussion here.

Here's a couple of misc videos: firstly touchable holograms might be on the way. Secondly a bizarre explanation of the iPhone 4 saga told by a Taiwanese news station animation, in a style which seems to combine Star Wars and GTA4. The latest scandal to crop up, dubbed 'antennagate', is so-named because the phone's antenna gets poor reception if the phone is held the wrong way. Watch Jobs try and convince the world it's not a big deal in this animation.

That Taiwanese station had better be careful, because it seems Lucasfilm are not keen on things that look like lightsabres. Lucas’s firm Lucasfilm Ltd. has fired off a cease-and-desist letter to Wicked Laser threatening legal action if they do not alter the design of their dastardly device. "It is apparent from the design of the Pro Arctic Laser that it was intended to resemble the hilts of our lightsaber swords,” the letter reads, “which are protected by copyright."

European privacy officials have determined that the way EU Member States have been retaining ISP customer data has been unlawful. The highly controversial 2006 EU Data Retention Directive compels all ISPs and telecommunications service providers operating in Europe to retain telecom and internet traffic data about all of their customers' communications for a period of at least 6 months and up to 2 years. Sounds oddly familiar.

PassMark have some CPU charts, showing best value (dominated by AMD) and best performance (dominated by Intel). This chart comparing the price performance of CPUs is made using thousands of PerformanceTest benchmark results and pricing pulled from various retailers. Benchmark results and pricing is reviewed daily.